Friday, June 10, 2016

Onitsha Massacre And The Shame Of A Nation

By Lawrence Chinedu Nwobu

Buhari
would probably go down in history as the worst violator of human rights and by
consequence the most undemocratic president ever to walk the shores of this
blighted land. It is ironic that one day after the regime celebrated democracy
day and its one year anniversary on the 29thof May with much pomp, pageantry and
fanfare, feeding the public with fanciful tales of its commitment to democracy,
the rule of law and much propaganda on what it claims to have achieved in one
year; the next day being the 30thof May heralded an unprovoked
bloodbath as the infamous Nigerian army treaded the familiar path of killing
more than 50 IPOB and MASSOB adherents who were peacefully marking the 49thanniversary
of the declaration of Biafra.

The most fundamental
attributes of democracy are the freedoms of expression, association and
dissent. Democracy in effect gives citizens the largest unrestricted space to
air their views no matter how unpalatable—to assemble for what they believe in
and above all to express dissent through peaceful means. In nations where
democracy is practiced as it should, citizens express themselves freely and
organise frequent public protests to register dissent. In none of these
countries are citizens arrested or killed for expressing their opinion or for
organising public protests. In rare occasions where possibly because of
violence the security services deem it necessary to terminate such protests;
civil means such as tear gas and water cannons are employed to disperse
protesters. It is thus paradoxical that one day after celebrating
democracy day, the army is unleashed to kill peaceful protesters who are
exercising the most fundamental right that democracy affords them.

More so when as has
been reported, IPOB and MASSOB had actually written the Anambra state
commissioner of police, formally notifying him of their upcoming rally, for
which the police should ordinarily have provided security while they carried
out their peaceful rally as is done in true democracies. How can an
administration celebrate the virtues of democracy and at the same time kill
unarmed peaceful protesters? Is their own definition of democracy different?
How come the same administration that has refused to act and infact maintained
a studied silence while Fulani herdsmen slaughter people across the middle belt
and South is ever so quick to kill peaceful IPOB/MASSOB protesters? By these
contradictions Buhari has again demonstrated his deliberate refusal to align
with democratic tenets. After decades of struggling to have democratic
governance and 17 years in a supposed democracy, these blatant suppression of
rights and extra judicial executions only serves to indicate that Nigeria
has returned to full blown despotism.

If people cannot in
a supposed democracy assemble and peacefully express their dissent, and if they
must be killed for doing so; then for whom is this democracy? Is the democracy
for corpses or is it only for those ensconced in government houses? If a
democratically elected government can be as sadistic as to have so much
disregard for the lives of the citizens he was elected to serve, then of what
purpose is the government and the supposed democracy? Can a leader who has
scant regard for the lives of his citizens ever provide good governance? I say
this with all sincerity, because given the rising mood of gloom and
disappointment, the time is coming when Nigerians might as well decide to do
away with a supposed democracy and change government that has turned out to be
worse than military rule.

The only sin of the
protesters is their struggle for self determination and the actualisation of Biafra. But none of that is inconsistent with the
practice of democracy. Article 1 of the United Nations Charter clearly states
that “all peoples have the right to self determination. By virtue of that right
they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic,
social and cultural development.” Likewise article 20 of the African Charter on
human and people’s rights states that “all peoples have the unquestionable and
inalienable right to self determination. They shall freely determine their
political status and shall pursue their economic and social development
according to a policy freely chosen.” The right to self determination is
therefore a cardinal principle of international law incorporated into all
regional statutes of law including the UN and African Charters to
which Nigeria is signatory.

On the basis of the
right to self determination, several countries have registered political
parties dedicated to independence or self rule. The Scottish National party
(SNP) in Scotland, Plaid
Cymru in Wales, Parti
Quebecois in Canada and the
Basque separatist party in Spain
are just some examples of the democratic exercise of the right to self
determination without any intimidation, persecution or suppression. Some of
them have gone on to hold referendums. In 2015 the Catalans held a referendum
on self rule in Spain, while
Scotland
held a historic referendum on self rule in 2014. If individuals and groups can
have political parties dedicated to self rule and indeed hold referendums
within their democratic systems, why can’t IPOB/MASSOB advocate self rule and
hold peaceful rallies without molestation in our own democratic system? Was
Buhari in another planet when the people of Scotland held a referendum for self
rule in 2014? If war and killing of defenceless citizens is the way to keep a
nation united why didn’t the British with their arsenal of nuclear weapons
enough to destroy the whole world go to war with Scotland to prevent them from
advocating and or holding a referendum on self rule?

Why has Buhari in
spite of the change mantra with which he came to power chosen to keep Nigeria on the
dark and primitive side of humanity? Why must our nation be amongst those
accursed places where citizens are randomly killed at any pretext by those who
are supposed to protect them? Why must our nation continue to be amongst those
where human rights and fundamental freedoms are brutally suppressed? Why must
our nation be amongst those where poverty is endemic, where there is scant
regard for human lives and where deprivation of all sorts is the order of the
day? Why must our nation be one where we thrive only in wickedness, hate,
bloodletting, injustice and inequality? Why can’t we for once join the
civilised world and make the black race proud by upholding all fundamental
freedoms? Why can’t our nation be one where the democratic system affords
everyone all rights, including the right to self determination and where all
differences are settled through democratic processes as obtains in civilised
climes?

Why can’t nation
building, inclusion and justice rather than violent suppression of dissent and
free speech be our basis for constructing the nation? Why must our story
in Nigeria and Africa always be a story of poverty, deprivation, mass
killings, suppression of fundamental rights and tyranny? Can’t we for once
raise our heads and join the comity of civilised nations? When will massacres
like that in Onitsha
and the consequent shame of a nation end? God help us!